


Trying to Be Perfect

by TheDumbBrunette00



Series: Rafael Barba x Reader- In Love With The ADA [2]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Adorkable, Cutesy, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Marriage Proposal, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-03
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2019-01-08 10:02:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12252120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDumbBrunette00/pseuds/TheDumbBrunette00
Summary: Rafael tries to propose to the Reader but his plans keep getting foiled.





	Trying to Be Perfect

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I hope you enjoy this story! Please like and comment your thoughts down below!

Valentine's Day had never been an important holiday to Rafael Barba, in fact the only reason why he even acknowledged its existence was the half priced chocolate that always went on sale the next day.   
Since he’d met her however, the holiday had taken on a whole new meaning. No longer was it day-before-chocolate-palooza.   
They had spent one Valentine’s Day together so far, and yet it was one of Rafael’s favorite memories. When he’d woke in the morning, her already at school, to find a fresh pot of coffee in the kitchen with a bright green sticky note stuck to it with a heart drawn on. Then he’d returned home that night to the apartment they shared illuminated by candles and her in the bedroom, scantily clad in red lingerie, sprawled out on the bed, she’d fallen asleep waiting for him to come home and was snoring softly.   
He laughed slightly at the memory, how she’d gotten up the next morning upset at herself for falling asleep, apologizing profusely even though he didn’t really care, the fact that she’d even thought of him at all enough to make him feel loved beyond belief.   
But that had been last year, and now it was his turn to make this Valentine’s Day special for her.   
Rafael kept fidgeting with the small, black, velvet box in his pocket. He pulled it out and opened it once again to check and make sure that it was still just as perfect as when he’d gone to the jeweler to pick it out the week before.   
It was an unusual looking engagement ring, but it was one he knew she’d love. Three pearls clustered together with three small diamonds cut into the shape of leaves around them. Rafael had never thought he would ever get married, he’d seen his mother and father’s relationship and from a young age he’d known he’d wanted nothing like that. But she had come and changed that, crashing into his life like a hurricane and ruining all his plans for a simple, romance-free existence.   
He closed the ring box and shoved it back into his pocket, glancing at his phone again. 7:25, the clock read, she was late. They had agreed to meet at Rosario’s at seven, but this was nothing new to the couple, he’d been late more times then he could count so he couldn’t be too hard on her. But on a night as important as this?  
Suddenly he heard footsteps approaching him. Quickly he turned off his phone as she took her seat across from him. Her hair, which she had done up in a bun, was disheveled and she looked winded, relaxing in her seat.   
“I’m so sorry, Rafi,” she said, “I was just grading papers and, I don’t know the time just got away from me.”   
He leaned over and took her hand in his, “are you really feeling the need to apologize to me about being late and working overtime?” he asked with a small smirk on his face, a smirk that she had told him thousands of times over and over again made her weak.   
She relaxed and turned her eyes down, “you’re right,” she said, she looked back up at him again and smiled, “besides, you’re late more than me anyway.”   
“It’s not a competition,” Rafael said.   
She shrugged, “says the person who's losing.”   
Rafael leaned closer toward her, “I promise you, cariño, I’ll make it up to you tonight,” he winked at her and took some pleasure in seeing her blush red. After all this time, he never lost that sense of pride at making her attraction to him evident.   
For the most part, dinner was uneventful, they talked about work, coworkers, he ranted about a case and the incompetence of the detectives handling it (mostly Carisi), and she talked about her coworkers, Her sister had called her earlier that week and they’d spent nearly an hour on the phone, talking about plans for Valentine’s Day, how she’d gotten her book sold to Penguin Teen for nearly $100,000 and was having her book debut next month. A friend of hers had a new girlfriend in Jersey and things were getting pretty serious. Things had finally started to look up for her, something that (y/n) was immensely happy about, and that in turn made him happy.   
“Beth said she and Heather are gonna drive down for the launch at Wonderland,” she said excitedly, “so far Todd has sold over two dozen tickets to the Q&A, though most of them are probably looking forward to meeting the other two girls that’ll be there since they’re fully published already, Rafael are you listening to me?”   
Truthfully he wasn’t, his focus entirely on the question that he would be asking at the end of their meal.   
He nodded at her attempting the most innocent look he had in his arsenal, “of course,” he said, “every single word.”   
She rolled her eyes, not believing a word he said, she opened her mouth to respond but before she could get any words out, she was interrupted by a shocked gasp from the corner of the restaurant.   
“Oh my god, yes!” the voice of a girl cried, “of course I’ll marry you!”   
The girl rushed into the man’s arms and kissed her new fiance as the patrons erupted into applause for the happy couple, all except for Rafael, who watched the happy couple with a shocked look on his face.   
He’d had everything planned out. He would pretend to drop something as they got up to leave but then he would pull up the ring and he would feel his heart soar as she said yes and now he watched the whole thing, which had seemed so original to him, crumble before him. If he did propose to her here, now, after that, he would be copying that man, and he would be damned if anyone upstaged him.   
As the applause died down she turned back to him, a waiter began clearing one of the tables next to him.   
“Excuse me,” he said, “check, please.”   
The waiter nodded and left to get the check, (y/n) gave him a quizzical look.   
“What was that all about?” she asked.  
“It’s nothing,” he shrugged, chugging down the last of his scotch, “I just...have a fun night planned for us.”   
She raised an eyebrow, “funner than Rosario’s?”   
“‘Funner’ isn’t a word, as an English teacher you should know this,” he scolded, “and yes, even better than a place with standard Italian food that we’ve been going to for almost two years now.”   
She smiled at him and followed his lead, tossing down the rest of her wine, “I’m down for anything,” she said, “but how about some ice cream?” 

Rafael was acting weird and that worried you. Normally he wasn’t one for spontaneous adventures, preferring to leave that aspect of the relationship to you. You were the one who always suggested trying the new ice cream places or trying the food trucks down the block from your school.  
The fact that he had something planned “better than Rosario’s” frightened you.   
“Rafael, are you sure everything's okay?” you asked again as you licked the melting mint chocolate chip ice cream from the waffle cone preventing it from dripping.   
He nodded, “of course,” he said, “why wouldn’t I be?”   
You shrugged, “no reason, you just seem...off.”   
He laughed, “don’t worry mi amour,” he said, he turned to face you and you noticed the fudge brownie smeared on his upper lip, “everything is perfect.”   
“Maybe not” you said and he looked at you confused, something else in his eyes though, was that fear?   
You ignored it and, with your thumb, wiped away the ice cream from his top lip, turning your thumb to show him the evidence before licking the cold confectionary off your finger in an act you hoped was sensual. From the look on Rafael’s face you could tell it was.   
“There we go,” you said, “now it’s perfect.”   
You smiled up at him and he smiled back at you, dipping his head down pressing his lips to yours. You felt him smile against you and you let out a little giggle. With your tongue, you licked his top lip and his mouth opened, your tongues danced and the ice cream was forgotten, the taste of him better than anything.   
Just as you were about to surrender yourself fully and totally to the kiss, you heard a cry, drawing you back to the real world.   
You and Rafael pulled apart and you turned in the direction of the scream, your eyes landing on a woman who had emitted it. Her hand was being held by a man down on one knee. She nodded yes, tears streaming from her eyes and her throat tightening making it impossible for her to talk. But she didn’t have to, because the nod said it all, the man on the ground jumped and wrapped her in an embrace, picking her off the ground and spinning her around. The crowd cheered and you hollered.   
Yet Rafael was uncharacteristically silent, just as he had been at the restaurant. What was his problem?   
The applause died down and you turned to Rafael.   
“You sure everything is alright?” you asked again.   
He nodded and suddenly stood up, grabbing your hand and pulling you up with him.   
“‘Fael, what are you doing?” you asked.   
“We’re leaving, “ he said, “now.”   
He tossed his ice cream into the garbage. He wasn’t even half finished.   
Something was definitely wrong. 

What were the odds, what were the fucking odds that in the two places he was going to propose to her, two other men had done the same exact thing to their girlfriend’s first? Granted the fact that it was Valentine’s Day maybe had something to do with it, but goddamn it couldn’t the world give him a break?   
“So, you’re really sticking to your guns that nothing is wrong?” she asked again for what seemed like the millionth time.   
He sighed in frustration, “yes,” he said, “because nothing is wrong.”   
She groaned, “please, Rafael, stop being such a…”   
“A what?” he asked.   
She fell silent and returned back to staring out the window of the taxi in silence.   
“Can you at least tell me where we’re going?” she asked.   
“No,” he said, “it’s a..”   
“Surprise?”  
“Exactly,” he said and turned to give her his smirk, this time however, it had seemingly no effect on her.   
She fell silent again, he grabbed her hand and she turned to look at him.   
“Hey,” he said, “I’m sorry, I just want this night to be perfect.”   
She looked at him understandingly, “it is perfect, do you know why?”   
“Why?” he asked.   
She smiled, “because I’m spending it with you.”   
He rolled his eyes, but secretly he felt his heart jump at her statement.   
“That’s so cheesy,” he said.   
She smacked his arm and he laughed. It came so easy with her, it was like breathing. She was like air, he couldn’t live without her, he barely remembered how he’d survived before he’d met her, when his only company had been the occasional drink with Olivia or Carisi after some horrific case. That had been a lonely life, but he hadn’t seen it until she came into view.   
The cab pulled to a stop and jolted Rafael out of his thoughts. He paid the cabby his fair and climbed out, rushing to the opposite side to open the door for her. When she stood out the cabby zipped away leaving them alone, so blissfully alone.   
“Do you know where we are?” he asked.   
She looked around, finally recognizing where she was. She laughed and bit her bottom lip.   
“Yes, of course I know where we are Rafael, the smell of saltwater and high class perfume still haunts me in my nightmares,” she said.   
Rafael laughed, “entertain me, where are we?” he asked.   
She rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around his waist, “we’re at the dock were your friend’s yacht was parked when we first met.”   
He smiled and pulled her in, their lips meeting, everything was perfect, and then…  
“Oh my god, yes!” a voice cried from one of the yachts.   
Rafael broke the kiss, turning to see a man down on one knee, he swore he saw red.   
“Oh my god, are you serious!” he cried, “can’t I just get one break, one fucking break!”   
“Raf…”   
“No, okay, no!” he said turning back to face her, “all night I have tried to find the perfect moment, but each time I keep getting beaten to the punch...:”   
“To do what, Rafael!” she shouted.   
“This!” he said, dropping down on one knee and ripping the black velvet box out of his pocket.   
“Oh my god,” she whispered not believing what she was seeing.   
He turned up to look at her shocked expression, the entire dock was silent, the only noise was the water rushing and the beating of his heart inside his chest.   
“(y/n), you are,” crap, he didn’t know what to say, he swallowed and turned back up to her, “you are the most important person in the world to me, and I know I don’t...I don’t show you how much I love you enough, I know I’m older than you, I know I’m not the most romantic or even tempered or...you get the point what I’m trying to say is, (y/n), I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone else.”   
He opened the box, his eyes not leaving her, she gasped when she saw the ring.   
“Will you marry me?” he asked.   
She took in a sharp intake of breath, her mouth agape, her chest rising and falling quickly. She nodded once, then twice, then again and again and again.   
“Yes,” she finally said, “of course, I’ll marry you.”   
The world went still for a moment at her response.   
“Really?” he asked unsure of what he was hearing.   
She laughed, tears dripping down her cheeks, “of course I’m sure,” she said, “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my entire life. I love you Rafael, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”   
He jumped up and pulled her to him, their lips colliding briefly before she wrapped her arms around him and he followed suit.   
This was the happiest he’d been in his entire life. And nothing could ruin that, nothing in the entire world because for just a moment, no one else existed and they were together forever in their private little world.


End file.
